The new Red Line VUE definitely has a more refined look than its lower performance brethren. Our local retailer had two examples on their lot. The first is the rather sedate silver (Silver Nickel) that is offered by every car manufacturer these days. The other was a rather interesting green. Saturn calls this "Electric Lime" although I don't think that accurately describes this hue. Saturn also offers a "Black Onyx" version, although our retailer has not received one yet.

What first sets the Red Line apart from the rest of the VUE models is it's fully painted exterior. Saturn, in their wisdom decided not to curse the Red Line with the same textured plastic bumpers as the lesser equipped models. In our opinion this should have been an option on ALL of the VUE's. We can only speculate that GM does this with all of their base models to decrease repair costs. In our opinion this makes these vehicles look "half done".

Saturn decided to give the Red Line a bit of "attitude" with it's wide mouth grill. For once the designers may have actually looked to the tuner community for inspiration. Instead of the standard black plastic mess that usually gets stuffed into the grill of SUV's Saturn chose to place a metal mesh grill. This is actually a nice bonus due to the fact that most "tuner" minded buyers would make this one of their first mods.

Saturn must have took notice of current trends in the wheel department as well. The Red Line VUE comes off the showroom floor with 18" 6-spoke alloy wheels that would look at home in any car show. Thankfully they chose not to add the "plasti-chrome" covering that the L-Series gets.

Once you climb into the Red Line's cabin, you notice the White faced gauges and the chrome bezels. The seating is adequate, but definitely not performance oriented. Turning the key is anti-climactic. The engine kicks over with the same non-inspiring tone that all of the VUE's are equipped with. It appears that the only addition to the exhaust is the chrome tip. Too bad Saturn didn't give us a call for a Thermal R&D system for this bad boy.

Driving the Red Line is an interesting experience. Saturn saw fit to drop the Red Line 26mm and equip it with "performance" springs and struts. The ride is definitely not like an SUV. The best description I can give is that it is "tight". The body roll that plagues just about every "soccer mom" conveyance is not nearly as evident. A quick shot down a twisty road is rewarded with very predictable feel. I am fairly certain that the limits of this suspension setup will be the horrid rubber donuts that Saturn attempts to pass as tires. Stick some real rubber on this thing and you will be rewarded. Obviously this is not a vehicle for track days, but it will leave a smile on your face after a drive through the country.

Unfortunately nothing has been done to the Honda Supplied 3.5L V-6. Whispers of a Supercharger equipped version much have gotten killed at the R&D level. It's really too bad. Still the V6 rewards you with 250Hp and 242 ft.- lbs. of torque. This is enough to push the Red Line from 0-60mph in 7 seconds.

In conclusion, if you are looking for high performance sports car, this is definitely not the vehicle for you. If you need the space of a minivan and the traction of all wheel drive, but still want some sport then the Red Line VUE may be just what you need. Don't take our work for it. Give your local Saturn Retailer a call and arrange a test drive of your own.